It's easy to see why this is most likely the preferred transfer, while some moments might not look as meticulously detailed as the other Blu-rays, the color timing seems to be much more in step with the director's wishes. There is a healthy amount of fine grain in most sequences. A fine Blu-ray from Cult films.

The audio seems to be similar to the Criterion, both linear PCM in English, though now only 16-bit instead of 24-bit. There are included English subtitles though I could not get them to play. This is a Region 'B' locked Blu-ray from Cult Films.

Cult Films has only 2 notable extras on this new Blu-ray. "The Porter of the Night" is a subtitled 37-minute interview with director Liliana Cavani. Starting with her childhood and working into how she came to work in film, this is an enlightening interview, full of interesting tidbits. She later talks more about "The Night Porter" in detail, along with star Charlotte Rampling. Near the end of the 37-minutes Cavani talks of this recent restoration, which showed at the Venice Film Festival. "The Reality of Emotions" is a very honest and upfront interview with the talented actor. She starts by discussing her rather blasé attitude regarding acting, and yet she stays in the game by choosing interesting roles. Rampling then goes on to discuss working with Cavani and filming "The Night Porter". Aside from these two fantastic interviews, the only other extras are a few trailers preceding the film.

Colin Zavitz

***

ADDITION: (November 2014) Criterion Region 'A' - Blu-ray: Well, I guess this does signify the Anchor Bay as being far too green.  The Criterion can also look green (with some blue) but no where near the cast of the UK transfer. The Criterion is dual-layered with a max'ed out bitrate and significantly advances on the previous HD from 2012 and one of their own early, and weakest, DVDs from 2000. The 1080P shows greater detail, truer colors, superior contrast and some pleasing depth. Grain texture is consistent and very evident. I expect this is the best the film will ever look on digital - cited as a new 2K digital restoration.

The audio is an uncompressed monaural soundtrack via linear PCM. The music is by Daniele Paris and benefits from the transfer. I didn't notice differences with the Anchor Bay LPCM, but unlike the UK Blu-ray - they don't offer a surround track. There are optional English subtitles on the region 'A'-locked BD.

Criterion add some solid supplements. We get the 50-minute documentary Women of the Resistance, from 1965 by Cavani composed of interviews with female partisans who survived the German invasion of Italy. It includes a 5-minute long introduction by the filmmaker. There is also a new, 8.5 minute, interview with director Liliana Cavani conducted by Criterion in Rome in 2014. Cavani muses on various aspects of making The Night Porter. The package has a liner notes booklet with an essay by scholar Gaetana Marrone, author of The Gaze and the Labyrinth: The Cinema of Liliana Cavani, and an excerpt from a 1975 interview with Cavani.

I have never embraced the film as much as I did in this viewing. It is the best I have ever seen it look. Brilliant and 'uncomfortably voyeuristic' film experience. The Criterion Blu-ray is strongly recommended!

***

ADDITION: Anchor Bay- Region 'B' Blu-ray - December 2012': The new Anchor Bay is 1080P but has a decidedly green tinge to it. I'll admit that I have no idea whether this was similar to how it looked theatrically, but it does improve over the letterboxed Criterion DVD in plenty of areas regardless. The Blu-ray has quite a bit more information in the frame - notably the top and left edge. Also the SD is rife with artifacts which are significantly reduced via the Anchor Bay HD transfer. It is dual-layered with a high bitrate. The Blu-ray audio is lossless - options for DTS-HD surround or linear PCM stereo. The didn't note an abundance of separation in the 5.1 but both did sound clear and consistent. The Anchor Bay has no subtitles and is region 'B'-locked. There are no supplements. Let's hope for another 1080P release to compare this to.

***

ON THE DVD: Perhaps one of Criterions weakest efforts. Non-anamorphic image appears to have artifacts. There are no extra features, original mono sound and removable English subtitles. I keep thinking I see some edge enhancements but if I do, it is minimal. The image is not exceptionally sharp, but suitable for normal viewing. Criterion have produced over 200 DVD since this one and the quality has risen extensively.

Gary W. Tooze